The acceptability and intake of lipid-based pastes as a food supplement in a South African context

This descriptive study included 103 children aged 12-60 months, 39 older children and 291 adults, and was performed to assess the sensory acceptability of a lipid-based food supplement. Lipid-based pastes were found to be highly acceptable, although concern exists regarding the recommended portion sizes, especially for young children with poor appetite.Keywords: lipid-based pastes, food supplement, acceptability, intake, South Afric

The Interim as developmental academic journal

Published ArticleResearch has two important objectives: the contribution to scientific discourse and the identification of solutions for the challenges societies, government, business and industry face. Research should be in the public domain. The publication and presentation of research results are important activities academics need to engage with. Through publications and presentations are societies informed of the positive influence and impact research can bring to them. This paper will focus on the importance of publications and how emerging scholars can be assisted to get their research published. A case study is presented of the Interim, an in-house academic journal

Moderate malnutrition in children aged five years and younger in South Africa: are wasting or stunting being treated?

Objectives: The objective of the study was to describe wasting and stunting in children aged 12-60 months, admitted to targeted supplementary feeding programmes for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in South Africa.Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed.Subjects and setting: Children with MAM, managed as outpatients at primary healthcare facilities in three provinces, were included in the study conducted between September 2012 and August 2013.Outcome measures: Weight, height and mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) measurements were collected to classify the children as moderately or severely stunted or wasted.Results: Of the total sample (n = 225), 13% (n = 30) were diagnosed as wasted, 58% (n = 131) as stunted, and 21% (n = 47) as both wasted and stunted. MUAC was significantly associated with wasting. However, an association was not found between MUAC and stunting. Of the sample, 32% (n = 72) presented with severe stunting, and 29% (n = 65) with moderate wasting. Food insecurity was associated with wasting, but not with stunting.Conclusion: A low weight-for-age z-score resulted more from stunting than from wasting in this study. Severe stunting presented as a greater health concern than moderate wasting. Without scrutinising wasting and stunting, healthcare professionals may remain unaware of the drivers of underweight for age in children treated at South African primary healthcare facilities. Following this study’s outcomes, the sensitivity of MUAC in screening for moderate malnutrition in South African settings with a high prevalence of stunting is questionable. It is recommended that current nutritional interventions are revisited to explore the efficacy of treating children with wasting, stunting or both.Keywords: malnutrition, children, wasting, stunting, treatmen

Socio-demographic insights into South African student drinking behaviour

Hazardous and harmful drinking is on the rise among adolescents and young adults and has been classified as a major health problem. University students is a subgroup of young adults that are characterised by more frequent, and even more dangerous drinking behaviours than their non-student peers and new intervention approaches are needed to foster behavioural change. The purpose of this study is to investigate the drinking behaviour and socio-demographic profile of a cohort of South African university students and propose future research avenues to address student drinking behaviour. Ex post facto survey data was collected by means of a questionnaire including the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and a demographic section. Data was gathered from university students (n=474) from a single campus within South Africa. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVAs. Results indicate significant differences in drinking behaviour for gender groups; age; level of disposable income; type of beverage consumed, binge drinking, level and frequency of consumption. The findings have implications for higher education management, public health authorities, and academia and provide valuable insight on the socio-demographic profile and drinking behaviour of a cohort of university students. The findings serve as a foundation for future research into the development of a persuasive communications strategy (educational and prevention campaigns) that could foster much needed behavioural change

Nutritional status of HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy and the impact of nutritional supplementation in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Objectives: The study aimed to describe the nutritional status and determine the impact of current nutrition intervention strategies on weightchanges in adult HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.Design: A descriptive, prospective trial was performed.Setting: The investigation was conducted at ARV roll-out centres in Kimberley, Upington, Kuruman, Prieska and Springbok in the NorthernCape Province of South Africa.Subjects: Adult HIV-infected patients receiving ARV therapy were included in the study. Outcome measures: Each participants’s body mass index (BMI) was determined before and after a four-month intervention period ofnutritional supplementation with an instant, enriched maize product.Results: Data from 98 patients (mean age 39.7 years; standard deviation 8.9 years) were assessed. Prior to intervention, the median BMI was 20 kg/m2 (range 12.6–29.7 kg/m2); the patients from Kuruman had a greater incidence of underweight compared to the other towns, with a median BMI of 17.9 kg/m2. Of the 87 patients assessed during the final week, 49.4% experienced weight gain and 40.2% lost weight. Eighteen (20.7%) patients gained more than 5% of their baseline weight, which was significant. Only eight (9.2%) patients lost more than 5% of their baseline weight. Twenty-two patients who presented with a BMI 18.5 kg/m2 presented with no change in median weight.Conclusions: Nutritional supplementation, provided according to provincial policy and combined with ARVs, nutritionally benefitted about half of the patients in the ARV programme in the Northern Cape.Keywords: nutrition supplementation; HIV-infection; ARV; adults; nutritional statu

The effects of silver nanoparticles on RAW 264.7. Macrophages and human whole blood cell cultures

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are commonly found in consumer products due to their antimicrobial properties. This study evaluated the effects of AgNPs on the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 and human whole blood cell cultures (WBCs). Effects of AgNPs on RAW cells were assessed in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Effects of AgNPs on WBCs were monitored under basal conditions and in the presence of either LPS or phytohaemmagglutinin (PHA). AgNPs were cytotoxic to WBCs at 250 μg/ml. Under basal conditions, RAW cells = 62.5. μg/ml and WBCs > 25 μg/ml AgNPs induced biomarkers associated with inflammation. Under LPS stimulated conditions, 250 μg/ml AgNP inhibited biomarkers associated with inflammation for both cultures. Under basal conditions, and in the presence of 250 μg/ml AgNP, WBCs produced acquired immune system cytokines IL-10 and IFNγ. IL-10 synthesis by WBCs was partially inhibited by 250 μg/ml AgNP in the presence of PHA. Proteome profiles of RAW cell supernatants show that AgNPs modulate biomarkers associated with inflammation. WBCs proteome analysis shows modulation of biomarkers associated with anti-inflammatory effects

Sociodemografija: istraživanje ponašanja studenata pri konzumaciji alkohola u pet zemalja

This study is a pioneering endeavour, in which researchers from five different countries collaborated to provide more insights into the drinking behaviour of university students, a group of consumers characterised by frequent and often dangerous drinking behaviour. A total of 1704 students were included in this study that investigated various socio-demographic variables and drinking habits. The results showed students in certain countries (Ireland, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina engaged in hazardous drinking, while students in other countries (Croatia and Portugal), displayed safer alcohol drinking behaviour. In addition, male respondents in general consumed significantly more alcohol than female students. This study enriches the literature on international alcohol consumption behaviour among university students, and the results can be used by policy makers to address the issue of alcohol abuse that is frequently associated with this cohort of consumers.Ovaj rad rezultat je kolaboracije istraživača iz pet zemalja, u čijem je fokusu ponašanje studenata pri konzumaciji alkohola. Studenti su skupina koju karakterizira česta i rizična konzumacija alkohola. Na uzorku od 1704 studenta analizirane su sociodemografske varijable i navike u konzumaciji alkohola. Rezultati pokazuju da u nekima od zemalja studenti uglavnom pripadaju skupini s karakteristikama opasne konzumacije alkohola (Irska, Južna Afrika i Bosna i Hercegovina), dok u nekima (Hrvatska, Portugal) pripadaju skupini sigurnije konzumacije alkohola. Utvrđeno je da u svim zemljama muškarci konzumiraju znatno više alkohola nego žene. Ovo istraživanje obogaćuje postojeća međunarodna istraživanja o konzumaciji alkohola te može pomoći kreatorima socijalne politike u rješavanju problema nepoželjne konzumacije alkohola ove skupine potrošača

Mentorship and sustainable research output : a case study of the University of Johannesburg

Abstract: Higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa are facing challenges arising as a result of the shift from traditional teaching activities to a combination of research and teaching. Increasing emphasis on research, an integral part of this transformation of higher education, has required HEIs to develop and implement capacity development strategies to enable those new to research to engage in research output; and mentorship is a strategy that is enjoying increasing popularity. This article explores the challenges faced in the implementation of a formal research mentorship programme (REMP), using the University of Johannesburg as a case study. A quantitative approach was adopted to obtain the perceptions of academic staff of REMP as a strategy for building research capacity. The findings reveal that whilst the REMP is strongly favoured by academics as a means of guiding novice researchers, key factors need to be addressed to ensure its success. This article examines the challenges for both mentors and mentees and suggests actions to help mentorship programmes make sustainable contributions to the development of research capacity

Towards a simple global-standard bioassay for a key ecosystem process: organic-matter decomposition using cotton strips

Cotton-strip bioassays are increasingly used to assess ecosystem integrity because they provide a standardized measure of organic-matter decomposition – a fundamental ecosystem process. However, several different cotton- strip assays are routinely used, complicating the interpretation of results across studies, and hindering broader synthesis. Here, we compare the decay rates and assemblages of bacteria and fungi colonizing the three most commonly used cotton materials: Artist’s canvas, Calico cloth, and Empa fabric. Cotton strips from each material type were incubated in 10 streams that span a wide range of physicochemical properties across five ecoregions. Additionally, to evaluate responses to environmental stress without potentially confounding biogeographical effects, we deployed identical bioassays in five streams across an acidification gradient within a single ecoregion. Across all streams decomposition rates (as tensile strength loss [TSL]) differed among the three cotton ma- terials; Calico cloth decomposed fastest (time to 50% TSL [T50]=16.7d), followed by the Empa fabric (T50 = 18.3 d) and then Artist’s canvas (T50 = 21.4 d). Despite these differences, rates of TSL of the three cotton materials responded consistently to variation in environmental conditions; TSL of each fabric increased with stream temperature, dissolved-nutrient concentrations and acid-neutralizing capacity, although Artist’s canvas and Calico cloth were more sensitive than Empa fabric. Microbial communities were similar among the mate- rials, and values of community structure (e.g., phylotype richness and diversity) were comparable to those reported for decaying leaves in streams from the same region, the major natural basal carbon resource in forested-stream ecosystems. We present linear calibrations among pairs of assays so that past and future studies can be expressed in a “common currency” (e.g., Artist’s-fabric equivalents) ‘past and future studies’ repeated two times in the sentence. Lastly, given its relatively low within-site variability, and the large number of streams where it has been used (> 700 across the globe), we recommend Artist’s fabric for future work. These results show that cotton provides an effective and realistic standardized substrate for studying heterotrophic microbial assemblages, and acts as a reasonable proxy for more chemically complex forms of detritus. These findings add to growing evidence that cotton-strip bioassays are simple, effective and easily standardized indicators of het- erotrophic microbial activity and the ecosystem processes that result

An inhibitory substance produced by Aeromonas media A199, an aquatic probiotic

Whether or not the probiotic activity of the Aeromonas media strain A199 derived from the production of an extracellular inhibitory substance was investigated. Ethyl acetate extraction of broth cultures of A199 and preparative thin layer chromatography methodologies revealed a fraction that contained inhibitory activity against bacterial and fungal indicators. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses identified indole (2,3 benzopyrrole, henceforth referred to as T1) as the major chemical component in this fraction. The presence of inhibitory activity in broth culture extracts of A199 was found to be entirely dependent on the production of T1 by the organism. The inhibitory activity of T1 in vitro against Edwardsiella tarda, Vibrio anguillarum, Yersinia ruckeri, Aeromonas salmonicida and Lactococcus garvieae was found to be concentration dependent (300-600 μg ml- 1). Antifungal activity (75-300 μg ml- 1) was obtained against the vegetative stage and cysts of Saprolegnia parasitica, with cysts showing a higher susceptibility. Morphological changes observed within hyphae suggested that T1 could be a potential cytoplasmic toxin. Equivalent inhibitory activity was obtained from commercial indole against the majority of indicators, but discrepancies were encountered consistently with failure to inhibit particular bacterial indicators as well as decreased antifungal activity. A comparison of the inhibitory activity of A199 and other indole producers, that included various strains of A. media and Escherichia coli, indicated that the ability of a bacterium to produce indole might not necessarily afford it with inhibitory activities. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved